Spate of Violence and Pushing Back with Parents, Family

Violence in Detroit, and other cities, for sure, spilled from the streets a week ago into McDonald's at Six Mile and Livernois, Friday, with a young person facing off with a retired police officer. The young man was killed.

At yet, another McDonald's in southwest Detroit was the crime scene of a disgruntled exemployee who left a pipe bomb in the women's bathroom the same day, radio reported.

Last week, the spate of violence left eight shot last Wednesday, while six were murdered and nine other persons were wounded during a two-day period.

Neighbors and citizens pushed back in Brightmoor's community on Fenkell east of Telegraph where I was a pastor over thirty years ago. Dr. Cecil Poe, a pastor of Leland Missionary Baptist Church (capcivic@comcast.net), who purchased property of Saint Christine's Church next door, hosted the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) Saturday.

Washington D.C., archbishop George Stallings, Jr., flew in to get a crowd to "stand in the gap" and void on either side of Fenkell where participants stood to symbolize the hole in the heart of my Motown.

"Violence against anyone, anywhere, is violence against the sacred dignity and worth of everyone, everywhere," Stallings shouted to an inspired group of a hundred clergy, business leaders and area residents in Leland Church.

Each of us has to take responsibility for how we respond or react in rage toward another when conflicted. Blaming stops with me. Parents must teach anew the great laws of love in the revered Scriptures of all faith traditions to love God and one's neighbor. Places of worship seem to be more common today than bars on every other corner of the streets near Lynch Road and Van Dyke where I grew up. Churches can supplant and support parents but clergy and business leaders cannot do this for the family authority set on a dad and a mom wedded in holy matrimony.

Family is the foundation of our society in our culture and crisis of civilization today embedded in drugs, disease and comorbidity of pathologies everywhere these days in suburbs and city life.

The rousing meeting gathered for a prayer walk and linked arms in solidarity pledging to fill in the gap as the prophet Ezekiel warned in the Hebrew Scriptures centuries ago.

Who will fill in the gap?

Parents, will you?

Will husband and wife, parents and children and neighbors and God?

Pledging to take action to bridge the gap in our homes, churches and community of Brighmoor and metropolitan Detroit persists now.

Can we fill in the gap?

Will you?

Tomorrow depends on it. Family's future requires commitment today.

Do you pledge this? Dad, mom, son, daughter, neighbor?

Contact David Kasbow at kasbow@earthlink.net, or lventline@att.net, or call 586 77709116 for help. Together we can!

And, be at the MOSES meeting and summit for clergy and others, Thursday, Sept. 1 at 1:30 pm in Temple Emanu El at 14450 W. Ten Mile Road, Oak Park, 48237. Call 313 962 5290. Visit www.mosesmi.org.